After finishing the season 4-11-1, the Philadelphia Eagles will have the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Last year, Philadelphia made a trade with their bitter rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. The trade was a swap of 2020 fourth-round picks and the Eagles received a fifth-round pick this year in return.
Following the rough 2020 season, the Birds traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts. As part of the deal, the Eagles received the Colts’ 2021 third-round pick (85th overall), which gives them four picks in the top 85 selections. Philadelphia has a number of needs going into free agency and the draft, the biggest ones being a wide receiver and cornerback.
Before free agency gets underway, let’s take a look at how the Eagles could attack the 2021 NFL Draft in this seven-round mock draft.
To help with this mock draft, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator.
Make sure to check out all of our other NFL Team Mock Drafts.
Round 1, Pick 6: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
The Eagles need playmakers on offense and Zach Ertz is likely gone. Pitts is also no normal tight end; he is a freak of nature athlete who can cause all sorts of matchup issues. The tight end has the size, speed, and crazy good catch radius to give Jalen Hurts a big weapon in the passing game. He has the talent to play anywhere on the field as a receiver and is able to make plays all over.
For more on Pitts, check out our scouting report on him here.
Round 2, Pick 37: Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
The secondary needs a lot of work in Philadelphia. Rodney McLeod is not getting any younger and coming off another major injury, while Jalen Mills is a free agent without much upside as a safety. Moehrig would be a steal this late in the second round and would make an immediate impact on the secondary. The 6-foot-1, 201-pound safety showed off tremendous ball skills at TCU with seven interceptions in his two years as a starter.
For more on Moehrig, check out our scouting report on him here.
Round 3, Pick 70: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC
Adding another weapon to the offense, the Eagles bolster their receiving corps by selecting the slot stud St. Brown. The dynamic receiver will not blow anyone away with speed, but he can catch in traffic and break away from defenders using his physicality and fluidity. St. Brown is basically a much better version of JJ Arcega-Whiteside and would open up the field more for the offense. Oh, and by much better, I mean not even in the same stratosphere better. The junior wideout recorded seven touchdown catches in just six games in 2020.
For more on St. Brown, check out our scouting report on him here.
Round 3, Pick 84: Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
The Eagles are set at cornerback number one with Darius Slay but need a true number two and much more depth. Adebo opted out of the 2020 season after having an up-and-down 2019 season. He would have probably been a top corner in the 2020 Draft but elected to return to Stanford for his senior season. Now after a year off, it is hard to tell what he will be able to bring, but he is a baller. Adebo had 97 total tackles, eight interceptions, a forced fumble, and 27 pass breakups in 22 career games at Stanford. He is worth taking a chance on in the third round as he has plenty of potential a few shortcomings he will need to work on.
Round 5, Pick 151: Brady Christensen, OT, BYU
Hurts needs to be protected to have any chance of succeeding in Philly. The 6-foot-6 300-pound Christensen is a bit of a sleeper going into this draft, as the tackle allowed just three sacks in three seasons at BYU. That included recording the lowest QB pressure percentage allowed by an OT since 2014 at 0.8 percent in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him their highest grade for a left tackle prospect ever with a 96.2 overall grade.
Christensen is a specimen who can match up with just about anyone in the trenches and would give Hurts the protection he needs.
Round 5, Pick 157: Shaka Toney, EDGE, Penn State
Adding depth to the defensive front is key for the Eagles as Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are reaching the end of their careers. Josh Sweat looks to be a top pass-rusher for Philadelphia, but outside of him and the injury-plagued Derek Barnett, they don’t have much young talent there.
Toney was always seemingly overlooked at Penn State, playing alongside Jayson Oweh and Yetur Gross-Matos, but was still a stud. In his seven games in 2020, the redshirt senior had 31 total tackles 7.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. He joined Oweh as a first-team All-Big Ten selection as his stock trended up.
Toney is explosive, has tremendous bend, and is one of the most consistent edge rushers in the draft with a developmental upside. He could really develop behind the likes of Barnett, Sweat, and Graham.
Round 6, Pick 191: K.J. Britt, LB, Auburn
The Eagles need to add a playmaker at linebacker, which they have not had in some time. The last time they had a true game-changer at the second level was Jordan Hicks. The six-foot, 240-pound Britt was a force to be reckoned with at Auburn over four years and is capable of playing anywhere in the defensive formation.
Britt would fit very well with the Eagles’ defense as he would be able to make an immediate impact. He would set the tone every day and is a team-first guy.
Round 7, Pick 228: Ryan McCollum, IOL, Texas A&M
Jason Kelce contemplated hanging up the cleats this offseason but decided to return to the Eagles for another season. Even so, Philadelphia has to start thinking of a future without him. That’s where McCollum comes in. He started all nine games at center for Texas A&M last season and allowed no sacks, just five QB hits, six hurries, and 11 pressures. The leader of the “Maroon Goons” (the nickname for the A&M offensive line), McCollum projects as a potential day one starter. But with the Eagles, he would be a great pickup to groom as Kelce’s eventual replacement.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Alex Kielar on Twitter @AlexKielar
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
